It's been years since staying at these little cabins. I have to admit, it wasn't the plan for the Mothers Day weekend. And I never thought I could find a trip being ruined at Lake Crescent Lodge where I'd stayed so many times over the years. Every year, at least twice a year as a matter of fact. And not to mention how we always stop in the restaurant when we are over here hiking, and camping, or staying somewhere. It's just natural to stop in for a dessert or a dinner etc on the way home.
So much arose in the way of bad feelings trying to sort out why such a place could treat people so badly, honestly, just because they were planning a Mother's Day brunch? Who can say? We were told we couldn't partake of the brunch, because they were sold out, and they were having probably 500 people? I have catered and I know you always have food for extra by a lot. And thing is, we came to Crescent not just for the room, and kayaking, etc, but with two days, obviously, we needed to eat as well.
We were very conflicted, you know how you feel when you're trying to be fair, and yet you know you are being disregarded, and you have to find a way to say what you feel, and let someone know what you think about their treatment? Because we have been good customers at Lake Crescent Lodge for many years.
So instead of enjoying our time away, we were going over details that had grown up like a volcano over the duration actually beginning before we arrived. Mixed messages, etc. I guess that should have been a hint?
Here is the sand left on the beach, remnants of a great wave. Maybe this reflects Lake Crescent Lodge as a viable park to spend time, for me anyway.
I can't even list all the crazy things I saw that were incongruent there, and it wasn't just disorganization, or new people, which, yes, there was a situation of new people as it is every year because it's a a National Park, and they hire from that bank of applicants nation wide, students, retired, etc who want to put in some time there.
Was it Aramark, being a pushy corporation, wanting this buffet money so much that others staying at the Lodge meant nothing to them?
Was it poor management?
They have the same manager as last year.
Was it that very inappropriately hired hired young woman at the front desk who never smiled, never said, I'm sorry, never treated you with any personal concern, and who eventually, when you said you'd like another room because someone built a fire that morning that was not built correctly, and it filled the upstairs with smoke, which of course endangers guests with particulates from wood smoke, offered you a Singer tavern for 220.00. When declined said, "or you can leave". Just that, or you can leave.
I wondered if there was something wrong with her, like maybe she was very troubled or what? To constantly be so unhelpful, first by phone, later in person.
There were so many things happening, we had to drive to Forks for breakfast after being told the night before we could get breakfast, then with 30 minutes we couldn't have breakfast, of course not lunch either, they were expecting Mothers? Well, darn, I was also celebrating Mothers Day, and all guests have to eat.
I can't tell you all the things that went wrong, I have said enough, but suffice it to say, it almost ruined the weekend, at least for a day and a half, the food was a problem, the room, no hair dryer in the shower bath rooms anymore? The bathroom floor was leaking all night up there in the lodge, we couldn't even get coffee, a cup, the coffee maker didn't work, and this girl said,"house keeping will be in in awhile". So no coffee either. Smoke filled rooms, not to mention their offices filled with smoke that I had to alert them to.
I can say this, the person starting the fire knew the smoke came out in the lobby, and didn't even think about where it would go, naturally upstairs where guests were, some sleeping.
There's a reason they employed a person who knew a lot about a fire, I can say this, because it is a health hazard not to have someone who knows what they're doing in that department. But they had these women behind the counter come over adding logs, and I knew that didn't have a clue about what they were doing.
So we wanted to ask for our money back, since we couldn't get another room because this young lady was making executive decisions concerning guests. But everyone was not thinking clearly, and I wonder if the manager would have instructed any of them to act so irresponsibly? Surely not. We just were so disappointed, what was the use, it was far past the limits of our money.
The night before we met a couple by the fire, ironically, we talked about smoke inhalation, and it's dangers. She was a toxologists at UW. A very delightful evening was spent there speaking with them, and I'll hope to replace all these bad memories with that good one, even tho we were shushed, and believe me, no one was complaining, and our voices were not the problem that their bungled decisions were. It was just icing building on the cake.
So we left, after driving to Forks to eat and have coffee, and anything besides the water we brought with us in the morning, and we ended up here by the ocean, and visited the Quileute Nation, and their beautiful beaches, and watched eagles, climbed rocks and logs and met people who were warm and kind, and had no such agenda as we saw at Lake Crescent Lodge. We smiled again, and became aware of the mess they had and that only people with completely wrong priorities could make such a big mess of anyones stay as they had ours. On our way back we hiked the other side of Lake Crescent Lodge area, and we didn't stop to chat with the bartender or employees we sort of befriended, since they were new in our area, we always liked to tell them about places to go here, it was our hospitality to new comers. We just drove to the ferry and home.
I sincerely doubt I will ever go back to Lake Crescent Lodge again, and even a complete refund of our money would have only been a drop in the bucket to make up for such painful sorting through situations and trying to know how to approach people who obviously didn't care that you were alive. Very sad state of affairs. I guess I had to write this, and let it out.
I'll recommend Quinault from now on, we also go there, and were there this year, and all was well.
